The Changing Tides – Episode 15

The Changing Tides – Episode 15

A Story By Tisa Phiri

Margret smiled as she saw Maria entering the house. She could see how much she had grown. She was now a woman and she noticed somehow Maria had changed. She looked well cleaned and the pencil skirt she had on with a loose top outlined her body morphology well.

“You are welcome Maria” she called out pulling her in a hug.

“Wow, I almost didn’t recognise you, Paul didn’t tell me you have grown so much in this 2 years I have not seen you. ” Margaret smile.

Maria smiled shly the welcome that Margaret gave her made things easy for her as she was so nervous. She had not seen Margret eye to eye since the last time she left.

She had talked to her when she was still in the hospital on the phone and her wise words really built her up.

“Tell me how you are my dear child, I missed you so much” Margret sstrted looking at Maria after they sat down in the back yard where she had some chairs for them to sit on.

“I came back last week and I was longing to see you. Just that I have been busy lately. You did well to call me and asked to come. It was good of you to do” she added her smile still vivid.

“Well, I just had to see you mam, I mean I owe you an apology and I was honestly not expecting a warm welcome after all you did for me. Am sorry I ran away and am sorry for everything else I have done that disappointed you and hurt your family in any way. I made a lot of mistakes and I hope am not too late to mend my life and get your forgiveness” she explained her sight blurred with tears.

Margret stood up and hugged her close. “Maria you are like a child to me. I don’t hold anything against you and believe me am so glad you came to your senses. Prostitution was not a great decision you made. But thank God you realised it before things got out of hand.

Paul told me that you had insisted on taking the HIV test whilst in the hospital?” She asked her after letting her go and went back to her seat.

“yeah I did and am glad God saved my life. He protected me from that infection.” Maria chuckled.

“Well, thats good news Maria, there’s hope for you my dear Maria all you need to do is open your eyes and heart to the goodness God has placed before your life. You are still young and it’s time you set dreams for yourself” Margret told her.

“That’s what I was thinking mam, I want to go back to school but I have failed to talk to Paul, he’s done a lot for me, I don’t want to bother him any more so I want to ask you for a favour.” Maria stared at her seriously.

“Well my dear if you ask me, my brother would love to help you in that area but I dont know what you people are up to so I won’t ask.” Margaret shrugged.

Maria sighed…

“I know he’s the father to my child and has been so good to me. But he has not said anything about me and him. Honestly I don’t want to bother him or ask him a lot of questions. So if you can help me find a job I will really be grateful. I want to do night school again but I can work during the day.”

Margret looked at Maria, she noticed how serious she was and even though she knew Paul loved her so much, she felt it was not in her place to tell her about his feelings.

“Well if you don’t mind you can help at the cash till at the shop in town. The guy who is there is not doing a good job and I was thinking of replacing him.” Margaret giggled.

“You will do that for me?” Maria asked with a wide smile.

“Yes Maria, I want you to get on track so you can start working at the shop next week” Margret answered.

They talked for some time and when Maria said her good byes it was almost getting dark. As she walked out she was surprised to see Paul’s Harrier parked outside waiting for her. .

“Paul,” she said surprised.

“What are you doing here?”

“Get in,!” Paul shouted,

” I was told you came here and I decided to come pick you up” he smiled when she had settled down in the seat.

Maria looked at him and he kept his eyes on her longer than usual.

Maria looked down at her hands.

“Shall we go now?” she asked him without turning to face his eyes.

Paul started the car and instead of heading to his house Paul took a turn and joined kafue road. Surprised, Maria looked at him.

“Mmmmmh we going somewhere?” She asked him.

He turned to look at her.

“Yeah I have realised I have not taken my girlfriend out” he responded looking at her. .

Maria opened her mouth to say something but closed it right back before the words would come out.

Wondering in her mind what Paul just called her.

“Girfriend” she thought.

“Well thats something,” she sighed looking ahead as Paul increased the speed after traffic cleared out.

Paul drove in Sandy’s creation and looked at Maria who was seemingly quite. He couldn’t stop smilling to himself at the look of surprise on her face. .

“Well” Paul, thought..

“Am going to take a step and make her realise how much I feel for her.”

He was certain Maria wasn’t going to open up to him but the jealousy that he noticed everytime Tasha went to visit them and at times that he mentioned her name gave Paul the impression Maria loved him.

He walked to her side and opened the door for her to come out. .

Maria got down and held on to her phone as she walked aside allowing Paul to close the door and lead the way.

They sat near the pool, the sky was now dark and the light around the garden area lit the environment making Maria feel so relaxed. She had not been to any luxury place especially on some kind of a date. She recalled the only time she had admired the outside of some lodge was when the sugar daddy she had found herself took her out to some place in town. She pushed aside the thoughts of how she hard worked with her hands to please the old big man.

She sighed and looked at Paul who’s eyes where set on her making her feel so uncomfortable.

“Anything the matter? ” She asked him finally when he opened his mouth to smile. Paul drew his chair next to her and sighed.

“Well my dear, you have no idea how much I longed to look at you and not turn away.”

Maria laughed,

” am not getting you Paul, it’s not like I just came. You have been looking at me for over 3 weeks now why would you say that.?” She asked her eyes calm.

“Maybe I have not been looking close enough” he let a laugh and held her hand. .

“Maria, oh my Maria, you are one hell of a woman. You are a puzzle that I fail to solve no matter how much I try.

How is it possible that I can love you so much and you sometimes do the craziest things?” Paul asked turning her head to look at her eyes. Maria kept her glance on him too and she smiled.

“If am a puzzle then what does that make you? Cause you are so insistent and you don’t back down. Is it just me or you are the most tolerant person alive?” She let a laugh.

“You scare me Paul, I look at you and all I want is to hold you and never let go. But I come to think of how much of a great person you are and I feel am never gonna be the woman you deserve. Am so scared to open my heart cause I fear I won’t be able to make you happy” Maria added a tear falling from her eye.

Paul smiled and held her face,

“well it’s easier than you think, your words just made me so happy right now. All you need to do is accept me and let me love you. That’s it ” he mentioned almost in a whisper.

Just then, the waitress came with some trays of food they had ordered and served them.

Paul looked at the waitress and thanked her.

“Well, I guess this talk will have to wait ” he sighed sitting up,

“am so hungry” he let a laugh as he pulled his plate.

“He’s too much,” Maria thought to herself. She noticed how excited Paul looked, it was like he was waiting to hear her say something to him and he looked relaxed and happy. She got her own plate and took a bite while admiring the man before her.

Paul pulled out a phone from his pockets and called the maid from home.

“Make sure the boy sleeps in a net and give him his juice before bed,” he instructed whilst Maria looked at him .

Paul just told the maid they weren’t going back that night. Even though he didn’t plan to spend a night out. He decided that very moment he and Maria could use some time out.

Maria looked at him,

“what you just told the maid to do, What’s the plan Paul?” She asked wipping her mouth with a napkin.

Paul smile and instead of answering her walked to the reception and he came back holding a key.

“We have a challet now, today we are off being parents” he teased standing behind Maria’s chair. She bend her head upwards without turning and looked at him.

“We are sleeping here?” She asked him.

“You don’t like the place? We go somewhere else?” Paul teased knowing so well what she meant.

Maria shook her head,

“You are unbelievable Paul.”

After sitting by the pool for some hour as Paul talked most of the times, he stood up and held Maria’s hand.

“Shall we?” He lifted her up.

Maria felt a grip of fear in her throat as Paul led her to the booked Challet.

She had been with men after Paul of course but in a way that wasn’t so intimate as she did everything with some stranger she wouldn’t even recognise a day after.

Now that the only person she had ever desired as a woman was taking her into a room where the two would be together without anyone else around, Maria felt so nervuous her hands were almost sweating. She went to sit down on the bed not knowing what to do.

Paul went and sat on the head board of the bed.

“Come here!” he ordered Maria.

She turned to look at him.

“Paul, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be here like this ,you should have warned me about all this plan of yours” she complained avoiding looking at him.

Paul went close to her and removed her shoes and pulled her on top till his back reached the board again .

“Listen to me now. I was quite all this time wanting you to figure out things on your own. Tell me now Maria seriously, how do you look at me? I mean what are your feelings towards me?” He asked.

Maria stayed put her hands holding Paul’s hands which were wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and sighed as she felt Paul’s body and heart beat in her back.

“I love you Paul, if that’s what you are asking. I have never felt so scared of loosing something in my life than I fear loosing you. Even though you blame yourself for getting me pregnant ,it’s not entirely your fault cause I felt the connection towards you even then.” She smiled relaxing her body.

Paul listened as she explained her feelings his head on the board and his hands still wrapped around her.

“Now tell me the truth Paul, will you live with me knowing that I have been with other men too? People I can’t even remember. Will you still love me and never be reminded of my wrong doings? Will i be the one yo make you happy?” She asked in a low tone.

Paul with his eyes still closed, sighed.

“Well I know you might have such questions. But if I was to open my heart for you to see, you would know that what I feel for you is beyond your mistakes. I loved you when I saw you first, I loved you when I saw you with another man, I loved you even when you rejected me and I still love you now. The heart doesn’t lie Maria, It choses beyond reason and I can assure you I can’t tell it to feel otherwise about you. It has chosen and my being just follows what it wants. My body and my mind just obey” he added putting his hands on top of hers now and rubbing them gently.

“You see, you are too much for me Paul, way too much you will drive me crazy ” she addded giggling..

After some moment of silence, it was like the two were connecting with each other but not with words. Paul feeling her heart beat steadly from his chest and Maria feeling his from her back as they both enjoyed the moment without moving, their eyes closed.

After almost 10 minutes Paul turned her shoulders to make her face him, “Maria” he whispered.

“I want to make you mine,” he said.

” But I want to do it right and with your permission, do you feel like doing it with me?” He asked his now weak eyes looking straight at her.

She smiled shly,

” am scared Paul” she said honestly.

Paul let a laugh..

“scared of me or getting pregnant again? ” he teased

Maria smiled back at him,

” well pregant no, cause the family planning I got for 3 years is still working. I just don’t know how to do that, I mean make love to the man I love” she added.

“Well, let’s imagine it’s your first time and let me do everything okey? ” He paused as she nodded her head.

After minutes of pleasure and that deep reconnection, Maria breathed out heavily and turned to look at Paul who fall back on the bed his eyes still closed.

She bent to kiss his tender lips and he smiled pulling her closer.

“How was it?” He asked her.

“Wow, I must confess it felt like the first time ever, without pain both in my body and my heart . I wonder how you manage to be so damn good at everything.” She laughed.

Paul let a laugh without opening his eyes.

“I just made the right choice my love, and when you choose right you enjoy the benefits.” He rubbed her bare back so gently sighing deeply.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and he held her waist close and pulled her to him going for another adventure.

Back at home Tasha had waited for Paul and Maria to come back. She had planned on spending a night. She had sneaked into Paul’s room intending to come seduce him when he got there. She had planned the period she knew she could get pregnant knowing if she succeded she would end up winning over Paul with a child. .

She looked at the watch and when she saw it was almost 21 hours without a sign of Paul or Maria she grabbed her phone and called Grace.

“Is Paul still there?” She asked her

“No he left a while ago, he didn’t even enter the house he told me he just came to pick up that Maria” Grace responded.

“What? Where are they then? They are both not here yet I came like we planned but am tired of waiting” Tasha complained. .

“Am sorry girl, maybe that b***h got to him and he’s probably with her in bed now and will come later.”

“Oh no, I can’t bare this anymore, he has no idea how much I planned this and How hot I got for him” she said looking at her sexy undies she had on.

Grace sighed,

” I don’t know my dear. Lets hope we are wrong and he’s coming back tonight otherwise it will be all a share waste of timea” she added sadly.

“I wonder what that man sees in that street slut . He’s turned of his sense of reason. ” she added.

Grace got her phone and called Paul, he answered when the call was almost cutting.

“Yes cuz” he answered in a whisper as he watched the now sleeping Maria. answered

“Why are you calling me this time?” He asked surprised his cousin was calling him after 22 hours.

“Well I wanted to hear how you guys moved” she lied trying to know where her cousin was really.

Paul smiled on the phone…

“oh we are okey, never felt so amazing ” he added with a laugh.

“You won’t believe Maria is mine again ” he boasted proudly.

“She’s so amazing I can’t stop thinking about her even when she’s with me.”

Grace cut the line without hearing the rest. She stood so furious and called Tasha to find her way out telling her what she just heard.

“He’s crazy!” they both shouted as they hung up the call.

To be continued

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